Do you own a Windows 7 laptop?
Support for Windows 7 was ended on January 14th so the there will be no further updates released by Microsoft. This means that the device will no longer receive security patches and updates, leaving it vulnerable to viruses / attack. The National Cyber Security Centre has warned against continuing to undertake online banking or other sensitive online activity on Win 7 devices.
At University of Stirling we have been working hard for over a year to upgrade all of our University owned student and staff computers to Windows 10.
From mid February, we intend to cut off internet access to Windows 7 devices so you will not be able to use any Windows 7 devices on eduroam or the university network.
We can tell from our logs that there are still a small number of staff and students who are connecting privately owned Windows 7 devices to the network. You need to take steps to either upgrade your existing device or replace it in order to continue to use University Wi-Fi or connect to our network.
How do I upgrade my personally owned laptop to Win 10?
If you have a genuine licensed copy of Windows 7, you may still be able to get a free upgrade to Windows 10. Advice here. As stated in the article there is absolutely no guarantee that this route will continue to work as Microsoft could withdraw it at any point. Failing that, you will have to go to a credible source like PC World to get your device upgraded. You can also purchase an upgrade from Microsoft.
Should I buy a new laptop?
Microsoft states that to run Windows 10 effectively, the minimum specification is a 1GHz processor, 16GB of hard drive space, and 1GB of RAM memory. If your laptop does not meet these minimum specifications, it may struggle to run Windows 10. If you are considering a new purchase, we have a recommended minimum specification for a laptop for University study on UniDesk.
Laptop loans are now available in the Library
To help tide you over if you have a Windows 7 laptop, there are now self-service laptop loans available in the Library – see our web page for more info.